


Picking Stones And Chasing Butterflies

by SomebodyElse



Series: Steven Universe Fics 2017 [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ignores "Three Gems and a Baby", Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-18 22:26:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9405608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomebodyElse/pseuds/SomebodyElse
Summary: After Steven's birth, it was not Garnet who picked up the pieces.(Beware for Crystal Gem angst, and more importantly Rupphire angst.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> I had this on my phone for several weeks now, unfinished and all. Don't know how many chapters there will be, perhaps ten tops, but we will see :)

When all was said and done, the pinkish light-so blazing and bright just a minute ago- faded, and the Homeworld's stars shone mockingly above them.

The entrance to the temple was left dull and quiet.

Amethyst ran away.

Pearl disappeared into her room.

Garnet was left alone, standing impossibly still, her only company a grief-stricken man and his crying newborn son.

And Rose was gone.

She had seen this months ago- this event, this mockery of a celebration of life (isn't birth supposed to be a joyful occasion?)- she saw it all, saw the tears and the pain, but still did nothing to stop it. She couldn't have. Wouldn't be even able to.

Partly because in all the possibilities she saw, where she _tried,_ Rose stopped speaking to her and Greg moved away, far from Beach City, taking all that was left of Rose with him- taking _Rose_ with him.

Partly because despite seemingly strong and intimidating, she was a coward when it came to the leader of their merry band of misfits. Rose was the first to actually see Garnet as _Garnet_ , and she was so afraid to lose that.

Another great reason was, that she simply _couldn't_ bring herself to destroy the bond between Rose and Greg, the one she so supported and nurtured carefully before.

But now, faced with the reality before her and not just some possibility that could come into fruition-

_(There were futures where the child- the little fusion- just did not work, where the transfer of Rose's gem to its small stomach was a failure, and Garnet could not tell if she was relieved or disappointed it did not come to that)_

She didn't know what to do.

Always so sure of herself, tall and confident and safe with the knowledge of being creation of something so beautiful... Garnet was feeling lost, like all those years ago where she stumbled on unsteady legs through wild forest. The future was uncertain- emotions, both hers and _theirs_ , were clouding her Sight and no matter how hard she tried she simply could not see. Rivers of time became still, and the normally stoic gem could only shudder, before turning silently on her heel and heading for the temple door.

She did not acknowledge Greg- did not even offer any of the comforting gestures she saw herself do in the few timelines before this.

_(It was cruel, and it was petty- she saw his pain and felt it deeply, and Garnet was made of love and being compassionate was something she did well- but in this instance, she felt empty of emotions and small part of her blamed him for that)_

She did not look at the baby.

Stepping over the warp pad and raising her palms towards the door, she did her best to ignore the way her hands burned. It felt like an itch - or what she assumed itch would feel like- and the tall fusion resisted curling her hands into fists. She resisted the urge to scratch her palms or to press at the edges of her gems, restless energy straining from under her skin.

Taking a deep, completely unnecessary breath, she closed her eyes and tried to let things go. Acknowledge, accept, and then let go.

_(It was just a thought.)_

_(Is this how we fall apart?)_

She can't let herself go now, she can't allow _them_ to tear her in two. Not _now_ , not when she has as much right to grieve and mourn as either of them-

-«-

They fell apart.

Ruby to one side and Sapphire to the other, both only exhaling in discomfort as they hit the ground. It was not a peaceful split-up, and though Ruby turned her head to check that Sapphire was in one piece- she always did - she remained in her own spot, still and not breathing for a minute.

"...Sapphire?"

There was no sound from the blue gem, save for the wave of arctic cold that started to seep from that side of the Burning room, and Ruby deflated, lying down on the ground. Curling into a ball.

Loss made her chest ache, and the lingering resentment from _Garnet_ over falling apart made her feel heavier than lead. She tried to keep it together, she really did- but it was hard when each of them grieved in their own way.

Of course they have split up.

Ruby could faintly remember Garnet seeing this possibility- or, seeing this happening in many of the possible futures- but they all hoped (Garnet, Ruby and Sapphire) that it won't come to this. But disappointment seemed to be the name of the game, and now they had to live with not only Rose being gone- and Ruby swallowed hard at that, pressing her face to her knees a bit harder- but also with the fact that fusing back together will be impossible now. Or at least, for quite a while.

Because Sapphire always became a literal block of ice when her emotion got too much for her. And though Ruby tried- _she tried so hard_ -to snap her out of it, she never succeeded.

She, on the other hand, grieved differently.

Ruby remained still- just like now- and she tried to become the smallest she could be- _a reflex, a forgotten instinct? She didn't know and she didn't like it, didn't like staying so still in one place_ \- but after a while she just had to _go_.  She had to get up and let her feet take her somewhere, anywhere, the fire that pulsed and roared inside her gem becoming an uncontrollable impatient energy. She would pace and she would rage; the world would burn otherwise.

She didn't know when that urge will become too much-  perhaps in few minutes, perhaps in few years; time was fickle like that, when one was over six thousand years old, fused or not. But perhaps it was the reason that started this particular session that had Ruby snap out of her silent stage pretty quickly.

She uncurled and sat up, turning towards the other gem- hesitating only slightly-

"...Sapphy?"

No answer.  Not even a slight turn of head towards her direction, and the red gem could not help but feel slightly hurt at that. It was only thanks to millennia of being fused together and _feeling_ Sapphire's affection for her that she would never doubt the relationship between them- but still. Finally, the urge to move, to do _something_ , was too hard to ignore anymore. Standing up, she wobbled lightly on her feet before just curling her hands in fists and heading out of the door.

She won't take it personally. She was determined _not_ to take it personally.

_(Take a moment to think of just-)_

Sapphire just had harder time coming to terms with her own feelings than Ruby did, and the red gem knewthat Sapphire always said she's fine but she's really not, and then all the nasty feelings and visions get to her, and it's Ruby's job to pull her out of it, but sometimes-

_(-flexibility, love and trust-)_

She has to know when it's okay to push. When it's okay to touch and to hold. She has to trust that instinct, that notion she learned from experience, and she always did- besides, she needed to do some thinking of her own, she isn't _fine_ herself... right now she would be pretty useless at helping anyway, and Sapphire would scold her later- though in a good way, because she cares, Ruby knows that, and Ruby cares right back, she cares so much but sometimes it just feels like not _enough_ -

_-Rose always knew-_

"But Rose isn't here, she's not _here_!" she snarled, voice soft and broken, and swung her fist blindly around- unchecked anger again and Sapphire would sigh if she saw her- _We talked about this, I am here, let's dance-_ and then she would take her hand and make it all better-

But Sapphire was not here right now, and Ruby was alone, and this _stunk_ because she-

She...

Ruby winced as the fence she punched came crashing down, planks breaking and some beginning to smoulder. Biting back a squeak of panic, she dragged her fingers through her hair- annoyance flashing within her when they got caught in the tight curls, _again_ \- and made an effort to stamp the rising fire out, hissing softly in self-reproach when all she did was crush the wood into even smaller pieces.

 She yelped in anger and took to stomping much harder. Fine, if she couldn't do even _this_ right, then why should she care about some stupid wood planks anyway? And who even builds a fence in this town, when a monster of some sorts can crash through it any second-

 _Stupid people, dumb dumb organics_ , she thought, and was instantly ashamed not even a second later, the churning feeling stopping her rampage. Breathing in with a wet sniff, her vision swam and her eyes filled with tears- and it must have said something about how she was feeling when they did not evaporate right after and she was forced to angrily scrub them away, even as they started to roll down her cheeks.

It was not fair, just not fair. Rose wasn't supposed to just- just _disappear_ for decades and decades-

_(-no matter how Garnet saw it, how Sapphire, or Pearl or even Amethyst saw it, she wasn't dead- she **wasn't** , she was just... gone, temporarily. Locked in a fusion that won't even remember they are one. In eighty years or so- maybe even sooner- she will come back, Ruby was sure of it-)_

They were supposed to stay together. After the gem war- which was such a horrifying experience- after the corruption, after being left on an essentially backward planet...They were the last. The last of the Crystal Gems. They would have eventually figured out how to help the others, and then they could all live in peace on Earth- perhaps create a gem society that, while not perfect, would be free and open-minded as it can get, and Rose would be there to see it all, and Garnet would be able to walk around and be greeted with smiles, and meet other fusions that too were created from love-

But she can't blame the humans for it- well, not humans as a whole. And they, primitive and young as they were, well, they weren't as mean or as judging as Homeworld. She shouldn't think like that about them.

_(-that was what Homeworld did, and Homeworld thought the worst of fusion, thought the worst of rubies in general, and Ruby was not like them, she was not like **them** -)_

"Hey! What the-!?"

The sudden shout had her head snap up and stare wide-eyed at the owner of the fence she had just destroyed.

And Greg stared back, just as stupefied, and through the sheer incredulous and indignant feeling - of _course_ it was his fence- Ruby could not help but notice that he.... was not doing well.

For once, his clothes looked unkempt- more than they did before - and they looked worn down, as if he was forced to wash and wear the same piece over and over again. He looked pale, exhausted- "dead on his feet", that was the saying, if Ruby remembered correctly.

 _Haggard_ , supplied a soft voice in her mind that sounded suspiciously like Sapphire's. It calmed her, just a smidgen.

But seeing him again so soon- so soon for her, who knows how long has it been for him- brought new wave of anger and rage and grief, because essentially, though illogically, _he_ was the reason Rose was away. And yet, seeing the state of him, feeling the grief radiating of him like the heat that started radiating of her-

Ruby was not a cruel gem. Sure, she was hot-headed, easily riled up, and sometimes blunt and very forward- and impatient- but she was not _cold-hearted_.

_(-pun very much intended, Sapphire would slap her shoulder for it-)_

"Who the heck are you?" he gasped while she was fidgeting in place, her anger replaced with slight guilt and sheepishness "Are you- are you a gem?! But I thought-!" He looked so overwhelmed, so shocked, and Ruby could not, for all in the world, understand _why_ -

_But they never met, did they? Ruby, after all, was not Garnet._

And Garnet apparently never told Greg about Ruby and Sapphire. Which was.... slightly concerning? And, to be honest, Ruby was feeling a bit offended as well.

_(That was the thing about being permanent fusion. After few hundred years, their old lives becomes unimportant, their souls and minds blends together perfectly. Garnet was her own gem, in more ways than the obvious one- she had her own personality, her own way of seeing and dealing with things- and after a while, those experiences become so foreign that Ruby can no longer recall with perfect clarity any of Garnet's memories.)_

Knowing that Garnet did not tell Greg about being a fusion... that stung a little. What Ruby knew about the man was that he understood fusion quite well- at least, as well as he could without actually fusing himself. It's not like he would think less of Garnet, or less of the two of them.

In fact, he would probably think the complete opposite. Say what you want, but Greg was true romantic at heart, which Ruby heavily sympathized with.

What was alarming at this very moment though- and Ruby had to give him some credit there- was that Greg was obviously gearing up for a fight, however reluctantly. It occurred to the red gem that perhaps this was not the best way for him to find out about her- especially if Rose told him anything about the Gem War.

"W-wait!" She jumped back a little when the distressed man reached for what could only be a bat of some sorts "Wait, Greg, it's okay, I'm not- argh this could be easier if just-"

"I'm warning you, I-" he paused, and the bat lowered some "Wait, how do you know...?"

Ruby fidgeted as he squinted at her. Technically, he posed absolutely no harm to her, but the fiery gem was really _bad_ at trying to end a fight without hurting the other. She really was more concerned for his safety, really.

"Wait a minute," Greg said slowly, his voice turning incredulous _"Garnet?!"_

She winced slightly at his tone, raising a hand to rub at her cheek. "Yeah..."she mumbled, looking away from him "But, you know, not really."

"...Garnet?!" He repeated again and Ruby had to suppress a flash of annoyance. She can't really blame him for this reaction- Amethyst was the same when Garnet first un-fused after all, after taking a nasty hit. Still though, right now, she had no patience for dealing with this the second time.

_(-she wanted Sapphire so badly right now-)_

"The name, is _Ruby_ ," she couldn't help but snap, anger rising in her as a sea tide "Garnet is not here right now."

"...Garnet is a fusion," the man said softly, apparently unfazed by her attitude- and what did that tell about the Crystal Gems as a whole? Ruby winced at the implications."She didn't tell me... You didn't tell me..?" A brief confusion that Ruby could understand- she had trouble discerning herself and Garnet all the time- but it was the resigned hurt in Greg's voice that made her flinch. After all those talks about fusion and encouraging it... No wonder this hit him harder than anything.

She didn't want to know how awful Greg must feel right now.

"Ah- yeah," she muttered "That-" she bit her lip and rubbed her arm "I'm- well, at least _I_ am sorry for that. But, Garnet is her own gem, and I can't really..."Ruby trailed off, sighing. She thought briefly, that they hadn't really know each other long- but five years is long enough for a species that barely lives to hundred, isn't it? The red gem really had no excuse. Garnet might have been completely different from either her or Sapphire, but she still was made from both of them. So some part of her must have decided to not tell Greg.

However any mumbled apologies from her were lost, when a faint cry sounded from inside the house, making her jump and Greg wince.

"Oh- oh Steven." he mumbled, hurrying back and leaving the red gem standing in front of the open door.

Ruby fidgeted, unsure what to do now. But the impatience turned out to be too great- and the fact that she _really_ didn't want to be left out there helped, being left bathed in the light of his lamp for all the other citizens to see- and though she was still hesitating, Ruby stepped inside. Gingerly testing her feet on the wooden floor and deeming it solid, she then turned towards the door, grabbing it and clumsily pushing it shut.

_(-this was the first time she was in a human household, and she had some doubts in its wooden structure-)_

The cry of the Rose-Greg fusion seemed to ease up into soft whimpers, so whatever the man was doing must have been working.

Tapping her foot slightly- a habit the red gem had while nervous- she looked around the hallway. It was... Brightly lit. The walls were actually soft pastel orange- a nice warm colour, which Ruby approved of. But other than that, it was pretty much empty. Well, apart from a singular small painting of kitten, but that canvas was so small she nearly didn't notice it.

Her steps were careful, hesitant, as she shuffled her way further into the house. Everything seemed so... easily breakable. Easily flammable. This was not a good place to let out frustrations, especially for a ruby.

Following the soft whimpers, she finally came upon a door through which she could see Greg, sitting on a couch-

-and in his arms, the little Rose-Greg fusion, swaddled in their blanket, just squirmed and whimpered, suckling from a bottle filled with something thick and white. Ruby shifted, unsure if she should come near. But curiosity got better of her, and so the red gem slowly walked over, just a hair shy of the human sitting on the couch, before craning her neck to get a better look at the baby.

As far as these things went... the baby was ugly. Too small and obviously fragile; their skin pinkish and still somewhat wrinkly, with slightly squashed features. Ruby could honestly see no feature that would make this tiny human a worthwhile investment- and she did see plenty of babies while as Garnet.

Though to be fair, she has never been this close to one. There just wasn't any reasonable point to be, before.

"It was... Ruby, right?" Greg spoke up, not looking up from the tiny being in his lap. "So... What- what brings you here, and so late?"

Ruby startled, her look shifting to the window. She had noticed it was night, true, but she had no idea it was _late_ by human standards. "Um."The red gem said intelligently, shooting the man an uncertain look.

"Just.... Accident. Went for a walk," she finished with a mumble, kicking the ground slightly.

She didn't hate Greg, nor did she plain dislike him. In fact, where Garnet was concerned, it was the part that was Ruby that had the most sympathy towards the bumbling man, being reminded of her own position in the hierarchy and how she fell in love with an aristocratic gem. But she never really respected him _that_ much. Who would, really? Even among humans, Greg seems to hold the lowest of standings- but that was maybe the reason why she felt so chastised and shamed, when standing in his presence now.

Greg was a very simple man, that was true. But he found joy in ordinary things, and Ruby was sure that there would never be a human much more open minded and accepting than him- and there was just something inherently good and kind about him, that the red gem realized she couldn't blame him for what had happened. Especially as he looked even worse from up close.

"...You look awful," she blurted out before she could stop herself, wincing and her eyes widening as she waited for him to send her off. But to her surprise, the man merely blinked and laughed softly.

Sure it was not a happy laugh- in fact, as far as laughs go, it was the worst mockery of it- but there was no spite, no anger in his eyes when he looked up at her.

"That's what a baby does to a person. All he does is... sleep, eat, poop and then sleep some more. On repeat for every three hours. It's exhausting." he sighed, then hesitated before adding: "Plus there are... other things."

 _He's talking about Rose,_ Ruby realized with a pang. And for a moment, she tried to imagine herself in Greg's place- where Sapphire was gone but not really _gone,_ as there remained small tiny part of her that had her gem but could not remember.

She shuddered.

As if sensing that even a small bit of Ruby's thoughts turned to them, the baby squirmed and whimpered, drawing the gem's attention again. Small and with the most annoying level of noise possible, the little fusion clearly demanded all the attention, and Ruby was once again struck with a complete bafflement. How could humans even stand it, coming into the world so... So useless?

"Hey, you wanna, uh, you wanna hold him?" Greg suddenly asked, clearly mistaking her look of confusion for something entirely different.

"What-?"she squeaked but that was as far as her protests got before she suddenly had a human baby thrust into her arms, and she was left to flounder briefly in panic, trying not to drop them.

"I- no wait-"

The baby squirmed and Ruby stilled, wide-eyed and suppressing a whimper. Humans were fragile and definitely not fireproof- human babies even so.

"Take them back!"she hissed at him, rigid as a statue as the baby yawned and settled into their blanket _"Greg!"_

But the man was either too overcome with emotions to realize her distress or perhaps was very much aware but choose to ignore her, and this was to be her punishment for Garnet not telling him about being a fusion.

"This is precious.." were his eyes getting brighter? "He likes you! He doesn't take to strangers that well usually." Ruby shot him a begging look but Greg suddenly brightened.

"Wait! I have to get the camera, stay right here!" he exclaimed eagerly, turning to run out of the room. Ruby balked.

"What?!"Squeaking in high-pitched tone with her voice cracking at the end, the gem's eyes only turning wilder. "Don't just leav- _Greg!"_

But the man already jogged out of the room with a swish of his long hair, and Ruby was left gaping after him in betrayal. Another squirm of the bundle in her arms made her twitch and choke back a wheeze, her panicked gaze flicking to the baby.

"O-okay," she whispered to herself, gingerly shifting one foot after the other shuffling closer to the couch "L-let me just-" She moved to place the baby on the soft cushion, but even the simple movement had the tiny Greg-Rose fusion tilt dangerously and so Ruby straightened again, for fear of dropping them. Biting her lip, she looked back to where Greg disappeared.

What was taking him so long? She can't be doing this! Gems were not made to be a- a baby-holders or caretakers and certainly not _her_ , with the fire that burned deep inside her!

Another squirm and Ruby suppressed a soft groan, holding the baby much closer, just in case they tried to escape.

_(-They can do that, right-?)_

Greg had said something about a camera, didn't he?

From this close, the baby was so soft. And even from beneath the blankets, with how close they now were, the red gem could feel every little raise of their tiny chest, as small lungs drew in air. There was a steady soft thrum she could feel against her collar- the baby's heart? And of course, she could feel the melodic pulse of their gem and feel the cut of it pressing to her chest.

Rose's gem.

Ruby swallowed again.

She really shouldn't have come here. Desire to see it filled her up, and this time she hoped Greg _won't_   return so soon. Taking a deep breath, she shifted the baby up her arm, gripping them somewhat irresponsibly so she could have one hand free, and she turned attention to their stomach. Swaddled in blankets as they were, it was a bit tricky to part them so she could see- even if it did required to still for few moments when the tiny fusion whimpered softly at the action.

And then there it was- a round pink stone, glittering slightly in the light of the room. Ruby though she would be ready- but seeing it so clearly now, encased in organic matter as if it always belonged there... It was sobering, and the red gem felt like as if the floor wobbles a little under her feet, prompting her to slide down against the couch and sit on the carpet.

She could not help but trace the rose quartz gem gingerly with a tip of her finger. It was slightly inappropriate- she was sure Pearl- _especially_ Pearl- would gasp at her boldness, but it's not like there was anyone else to see. Besides, she missed this- its melody and brilliance was almost too painful to bear- and yet it was so foreign too.

Well, not exactly foreign, no... there were parts of this new song that just kept saying _RoseRoseRose_ over and over again- but mixed with it was something different. Similar but not the same.

Something entirely new.

But at the same time, so achingly familiar.

Oh it was a fusion alright- but even Ruby was not so dumb to think it was the exact fusion like Garnet for example. This couldn't be returned- Rose and the part that was from Greg could not just un-fuse, like Ruby and Sapphire did a month ago.

Rose was gone.

The burning in her eyes and nose was back, and Ruby sniffed loudly, closing her eyes and exhaling a shaky breath. Almost blindly she started to cover the baby back up-

-when something suddenly latched onto one of her fingers, making her flinch and look down.

It was the baby. Now asleep, probably soothed by Ruby's higher body temperature, they instinctively grabbed the gem's digit with their tiny hand- and in a surprisingly strong grip. Ruby's breath hitched in her chest as she turned her wrist slightly so she could see their hand up close.

Now, Ruby was well aware she is a small gem- among the smallest ever produced on Homeworld, so compared to any quartz soldier- or even Pearl, really- she couldn't exactly boast about size, and that with limbs included. She was stocky, yes, but still small.

Sapphire was somehow even smaller than her, but what she lacked in bulk she had in height, being the taller of the two of them.

The baby's hand was incredibly tiny. Strong, but not big enough to even circle Ruby's finger fully, though they sure tried. The red gem freed herself carefully but then unfurled the baby's fist with utmost gentleness- only needing a fingertip- and marvelled at how it wouldn't be even able to cover her gem.

_Tiny hands..._

Ruby's face scrunched up.

The ache that caused her to lash out before and destroy Greg's fence was back, but somehow more painful and constricting. Her breathing started to come in shaky bursts, and Ruby really wished Sapphire was beside her, and her hands were in Ruby's hands, their gems flickering in a familiar song only heard to the two of them-

But at the same time, holding the baby (whose weight seemed to double, triple in her arms, pinning her to the ground), seeing the fragility and the absolute trust the tiny human had in the gem holding them- in Ruby- it was... humbling.

Grounding.

Cathartic.

Ruby promptly burst into tears, bowing over to bury her face into feather-soft dark hair, her shoulders shaking and heaving with sobs.

"I found the camera!" Greg returned with smile, lifting the mentioned object in triumph "Sorry it took so long, turns out that the box where it was supposed to be was actually full of-" he cut off, his smile fading as he finally took in the state of his visitor.

"I- Ruby? Is- are you-?"

"I'm f-fine!"the red gem blubbered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Unsuccessfully. "Just- dust in my eyes-"

"Oh geez, I-"the man paused, before deflating with a sigh."Here," he said, crouching and reaching for his sleeping son "Let me take him from y-"

But Ruby's head snapped up and she clutched the baby closer, and Greg paused again, before attempting to smile in reassurance.

"Hey, it's alright. He... He won't go anywhere, alright? I just need to put him back to his crib- we all need to get all the sleep we need." He motioned behind him where a strange wooden structure with bars stood, quite inconspicuous beside the long couch.

"I .... I can go see them whenever I want?" Ruby croaked, finding that she needed this small detail, that she _craved_ the solid weight the child possessed, as it anchored her down. Made the current situation slightly more bearable.

"Of course!" He exclaimed softly, surprised "I- did you think I wouldn't allow you guys to see him? No, no, of course you can come." He smiled weakly "Besides, as I said, Steven likes you, so..."

"...Steven." Ruby repeated numbly, looking down at the sleeping baby again "They are 'Steven'...?"

"I mean, that's his name, yeah," Greg murmured "It's the one me and Rose liked the most."

"Steven..." She said again, testing it on her tongue.

"Well, Steven Quartz Universe, to be specific."

"It... It suits them. Him." the red gem flushed and rubbed her cheek "It suits him." There was a moment of silence, where they both remained awkwardly staring at each other, before Greg held out his hands again, wordlessly. This time Ruby hesitated only briefly before gently placing the bundle of blankets into his arms, and watched him with growing sense of loss as he got up and walked over to the couch to put Steven into his crib.

Ruby sniffed and rubbed her cheek again.

"I should go." she murmured, sniffing again before getting to her feet. She shifted, opening her mouth to add more, but then closed it. Shifting from one foot to another, she squared her shoulders an determinedly walked back down the hallway to the front door, with Greg following awkwardly behind.

"...The others can come too, if... If they'd like," he said, rubbing the back of his neck while Ruby grasped the door handle. "I think Rose... Well, she'd wanted you to be part of this."

The red gem paused, wincing briefly at the mention of others- _Pearl deep in her room, Amethyst missing, Sapphire becoming one with the ice-_ but nodded anyway, before looking at the man for a moment. This kind human, who opened his door for her, looked past her rudeness and temper, allowed her to be near his child?

How could she ever think anything bad about him?

"Greg..." She started to say, voice guilty, but the man shook his head.

"No, I understand, it's... Harder for you all." He sighed "But hey, we can do this, right? For Steven."

"For Steven," the gem echoed and smiled weakly. Opening the door, she stepped out of the house, and then closed it behind her.

-«-

The entrance to the temple was still bathed in shadows and foreboding, and Ruby could feel her mood drop just from looking at it. She stopped right before the door, looking up at the star on it and inspected each of the gems. She wondered if Amethyst was back yet- and worried for her whereabouts as she realized she was probably still out there, alone.

Things weren't okay. They won't be for a very long time- perhaps forever. She hadn't expected her walk to help in any way- and if she were truthful, it didn't, really. But what did help was actually meeting the little fusion- the little boy, in who Rose put so many of her hopes and dreams. A purpose burned anew in Ruby's centre, helping her focus- perhaps right now she couldn't see one hundred percent _why_ would Rose choose this path- she couldn't understand it either- but she was determined to get there. She wanted to understand, wanted to look at the baby- Rose's son- and wanted to see what she saw.

It must be quite the sight.

Exhaling, she brought her gemmed hand up and lighted it up, willing the door open into the burning room. Waft of cold greeted her on the entering, but she ignored it with practice- her mood lifting when she saw the blue gem turn head slightly in her direction.

"Sapphire?" She inquired hopefully.

"Ruby."

Acknowledgement, short and to the point. But Ruby still relaxed because it meant her loved one was willing to talk to her. She managed to take one step in Sapphire's direction before the blue gem spoke again.

"You went to see it."

Ruby paused.

"Um, 'it'?"she repeated blankly, not sure what was Sapphire getting at.

"The child."Came the specification, and Ruby swore she could feel ice creeping up her limbs.

"...I did, yeah," she confirmed slowly "By accident. There was a fence..." She shook her head. "They, him, his name is Steven. He's... He's really small." Soft smile appeared on her lips as she remembered the tiny hand grasping her finger, and she unconsciously rubbed them together as if feeling phantom sensation of the action. Sapphire's shoulders seemed to hunch further down, but the movement was so miniscule that Ruby almost missed it.

Almost.

"You can't see it again."

The words were spoke softly,  in her usual monotone, but Sapphire may as well shouted. It certainly had the same effect, and Ruby was left staring at her, taken aback.

"...Why?" She asked slowly, taking another step forward.

"It is a human. It will live for few decades, then perish. There is no point in getting involved." Ruby continued staring, but this time she could feel the beginning of indignation  burn in her chest.

"I can't go see him because _he_ -" she stressed"-Doesn't live as long as us? That's bull and you know it!"

"It's life span is irrelevant."

"Then what isn't?"

"It is a human." She said again."It doesn't possess the capability to understand us."

"What are you saying?" Ruby asked, mouth suddenly feeling dry "That- that because he is a human- or, well, part of one- that he is stupid? Slow?" She could see Sapphire's mouth twist in a frown and the blue gem turned to face her fully.

"I did not say that. Just that it is unable to understand us."

"Well that's what it sounds like," the red gem snapped back, hands curling into fists "That's exactly what it means- you are calling _him_ , you are calling _Steven_ stupid." Sapphire's frown became more pronounced.

"It is a human. They are reckless and too ruled by their emotions. That is a hindrance that we cannot allow in our circle right now- not if we are to continue capturing other corrupted gems." But Ruby was not listening.

"...Stupid, slow, reckless and too emotional. Huh."

She knew it was her grief talking. Sapphire was a gentle soul- she nearly broke down after the final attack from the Diamonds corrupted all their comrades, and she never looked at humans the wrong way. But she was hurting right now and usually knowing this would be enough for Ruby to swallow back her anger, knowing this was just Sapphire's habit of guarding herself from more grief.

But the words echoed in her mind, trying to connect to the image of Steven, sleeping peacefully in her arms, or with Greg, trying to smile despite the pain of a losing a loved one. She waited for a moment, hoping that perhaps Sapphire will contradict her, realizing that put together, those words felt mean- but that moment passed as the blue gem just remained sitting, passive agreement seeping of her form like the cold that filled the room.

Ruby felt hollow.

"Too stupid to understand, too slow to even try," she said again "To reckless to see things clearly. Too emotional to act calmly." She laughed softly."Just like us rubies, huh?"

Sapphire flinched back as if slapped.

"Ruby- that is not-"

"But that's what everyone thought," the red gem said bluntly "What everyone thinks. Dumb, hot-headed rubies, am I right?" She knew she was putting words into Sapphire's mouth, that Sapphire never thought Ruby a simpleton or a fool- but...

_For Steven._

"Ruby..."Sapphire said, her voice wavering "You know I never thought that, I, it- he won't remember you, I see it. He won't remember and you will get needlessly hurt, don't you see? I'm trying to _spare_ you all this."

"I don't care," the red gem snapped "Rose wanted us to be part of his life, she wanted us to care for him!"

"You can't know what she wanted. Rose _is not_ here anymore."

"He is her _son_ , Sapphire. He is hers! Isn't that valid reason enough?"

"...No."Sapphire paused and straightened, her voice raising in a pitch "Ruby- Ruby where are you going-?"

But the red gem ignored her, mantra of _'for Steven'_ repeating in her head. She found that she could not bear to be in Sapphire's presence right now and silently opened the temple door again.

"Ruby-!"

Ruby stepped out and let the door phase shut.


End file.
